The Game of Thrones TV series has recently become a worldly phenomena. The gritty nature of the HBO exclusive, with its gore and intriguing plot lines has garnered the attention of millions. Though I love the show and was pleasantly surprised at how true to the book the first season was, I was personally brought into the world of Game of Thrones by the book series, which is called A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones is incidentally, just the first book within the series). I have always been a lover of fiction, particularly when any kind of fantasy was involved, and Game of Thrones happened to be my first real move away from young adult fantasy into a more mature genre. Needless to say, I was blown away (and possibly spoiled) by the heavy amount of political intrigue and the sheer number of complex and dynamic characters. For this post though, I'll focus on just one of the characters, and his journey throughout the first book.
John Snow is the bastard son of Eddard Stark, the Lord of Winterfell and warden of the North. John is a stout young man with a good heart and kind intentions, and one who gets along well with his five half-siblings (who are all Eddard Stark's legitimate children). He is treated equally among his brothers and sisters, but still always feels out of place, especially when in the presence of Catelyn Stark, Eddard's wife. Knowing that his inheritance will likely be nothing more than what he makes for himself, John chooses a life that is low in prestige, but high in honor--he becomes a member of the Night's Watch.
The Night's Watch is an organization of men who are sworn to protect the realm (the Seven Kingdoms). They have no allegiances to any Lord or King, have sworn off having a family or any relations with women, and have given up any claims to an inheritance. Their lives are spent on the Wall, a massive wall of ice seven hundred feet high and several miles long that was created to keep barbarians (known as Wildlings) and any other creatures out of the Seven Kingdoms. It is a place far to the north, where winter is the only season and monsters long since forgotten and left to myth are beginning to rise again. It is not a place many choose to go willingly. In fact, criminals who have committed crimes ranging from petty thievery to rape and murder are given the choice of death or the Wall, and a good amount of them choose death.
But this is where John decides to go, willingly and only at the age of fifteen. For him and many others, it is a place of great suffering, but also of redemption. It is here that I realized that John Snow's journey was not terribly different from the disciples of Jesus. In class a few days ago, I remember we talked about how to follow Jesus was to follow a path of suffering. They left behind everything--their family, their jobs, their homes--for one cause, to follow Jesus in order to spread God's word and better the world. In the same way, John Snow left everything behind knowing that he was leaving for a life filled with suffering and unknown terror for the sole purpose of protecting the Seven Kingdoms and making it a better place. Furthermore, the Wall was a place of redemption, and in some ways even forgiveness. The criminals, (or sinners), having chosen the Wall over death, are pardoned for their past transgressions and given the opportunity to regain their honor. When we look at the story of Jesus, the same thing can be said about those who choose to follow in his path. The sinners are redeemed and in a sense their honor is restored.
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